'Sober House' loses appeal to keep home open

TWIN LAKE -- The future of the Serenity Shores Sober House came down to a battle of opposing forces.

There was the emotional approach of the several dozen residents who gathered to support the sober house, versus the hard application of the law.

In the end the law won, which means Serenity Shores will have to vacate its home near Twin Lake, probably within the next few months.

The Dalton Township Zoning Board of Appeals ended months of debate Wednesday by unanimously voting to deny two requests for zoning variances for Serenity Shores, Muskegon County's only boarding house reserved for men who are battling alcoholism or drug abuse.

In December, the township board voted to give Serenity Shores a special use permit to remain open at its current address, as long as it received the necessary variances from the zoning board of appeals.

The township board also made it clear that if the zoning board of appeals denied the variances, the boarding house would have to leave the neighborhood, which is zoned mainly for single-family use.

Joel Kruszynski, owner of the sober house, was out of state and could not be reached for comment after Wednesday's meeting. He said last week that he would look for a new home for Serenity Shores, if necessary.

The decision by the zoning board of appeals drew negative responses from the crowd assembled at Dalton Township hall.

Twelve residents spoke at the meeting before the vote, and 10 of them passionately defended the sober house and the purpose it serves.

Muskegon County Commissioner Chuck Buzzell, a supporter, came to the meeting armed with a petition signed by 54 nearby neighbors, all supporting the sober house.

"These people are doing what they can with what they have," said one woman who addressed the board. "All they are asking for is a little help and compassion. I think we all have that in us."

But the backing of the community did not sway the zoning board of appeals.

The boarding house needed one of the two requests to be approved to remain open.

The first would have allowed Serenity Shores to build a turnaround lane for vehicles, next to Second Street, in the public right of way.

A township ordinance prevents vehicles from legally backing out of the driveway of a boardinghouse into the street, so a turnaround lane was necessary. But it couldn't be built on Serenity Shores property, because that would have violated a township regulation prohibiting more than 25 percent lot coverage.

The second request would have also solved the problem. It would have allowed Serenity Shores to have up to 50 percent lot coverage, so it could have built the turnaround lane, as well as the minimum number of parking spaces required by the township, on its own property.

All five zoning board of appeals members -- John Knoll, James Lothschutz, Charles Lothschutz, Diane Misze and Don Hofsess -- voted against both requests.